Meet the 2014 Live Longer & Stronger Challenge Participants

Find out what inspired these four women to take action and boost their heart health

Find out what inspired these four women to take action and boost their heart health

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Here we go again!

Heart health is a hot topic at Woman’s Day, and for good reason: In the United States, 1 in 4 women dies from cardiovascular disease, but heart-smart habits can help reduce that risk. That’s why we’re excited to partner with Joy Bauer, Woman’s Day nutrition columnist and TODAY show contributor, for the second annual Live Longer & Stronger Challenge. We selected four readers to work with Joy for the next nine months to lose weight, better their eating and exercise habits and ultimately improve their heart health. Read on to meet these inspiring women, cheer them on in the comments section and check back regularly to see their progress.

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Lindsay Sica, 26 From Pennsylvania

When Lindsay was 11, her dad passed away from a massive heart attack—he was only 37 at the time. Now in her 20s, Lindsay knows her weight puts her at risk too. She’s tried to lose weight multiple times on her own, and has even started running as part of her get-healthy plan, but says that emotional eating tends to set her back: She’s lost and regained the same 40 pounds about four times now. Lindsay is ready to establish healthy eating habits that she can sustain—such as snacking on fruits and vegetables when hungry between meals—and will be blogging about her journey at lindsayweighsin.com. “People always say it’s never too late to prevent heart disease, but I believe it’s never too early. I want to change my health because I want to be here for a long time, I want to make my dad proud,” says Lindsay.

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Shanna Keeler, 44 From Ohio

A mom of four, Shanna’s strong family history of heart disease should have been a red flag, but—like many mothers—she put her family’s health before her own. However, Shanna got a wake-up call last year when she was diagnosed with hypertension. “I was walking around at risk for a heart attack or stroke at any given moment. I know heart attacks run in my family, but who really thinks it’s going to happen to them?” Since then, she’s started exercising to reduce her cholesterol, but knows she needs to do more, including giving up her love of salty foods. Now that she’s on the path to heart health, she’s excited to pass down her new eating and fitness habits to her kids.

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Olga Post, 53 From California

Olga comes from a large Hispanic family with a mother who loved to cook. Growing up, she ate a lot of white rice and tortillas, which caused her to struggle with her weight since age 12. These days, she takes three medications for her high blood pressure, but wants to turn her health around so that she and her husband can travel across the country in a motorhome after retirement, exploring state by state. “I would love to take long hikes and not be out of breath within 30 minutes,” she says. Olga is learning how to makeover her cooking to reduce calories, fat and salt, and has started using a pedometer to increase her daily step count.

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Kim Ezekiel, 54 From Georgia

A yo-yo dieter of 16 years, Kim was perusing the web looking for weight loss help when she stumbled on the call to apply for the Live Longer & Stronger Challenge. The timing could not have been better: Her doctor has been urging her to lose weight for awhile now, since her high blood pressure and cholesterol, sleep apnea and family history of heart attacks put her at high risk of cardiovascular trouble. Although excited to get to her goal weight, Kim realizes it’s time to lose her “quick fix” thinking of the past. “I know that losing weight takes hard work. The dieting has to stop, and what I do next needs to be a lifestyle change—it’s not an option at this point.” Kim wants to learn how to plan ahead with her meals so that she doesn’t get caught reaching for fast food at the end of a long day.

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In good company

The four women of the 2014 Live Longer & Stronger challenge have some great role models. The six women who participated last year lost a combined total of almost 300 pounds—and are still slimming down. They’ll be advising our new group on how to establish heart-healthy habits that you can actually stick to. If you’re looking to lose weight or boost your own heart health too, check out their top ten tips for weight loss success.

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